Xadir Diaye
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Xadir Diaye (born Xadir Aboubacar N'Diaye) (born May 19, 1935 in Ziguinchor, Senegal) is a Senegalese-American imam and scholar of Quranic hermeneutics. He is the imam of Jehaan Mosque in New York City. Dr. Diaye is renowned for his flat rejection of the principle of jihad warfare, and for his dedication to countering Islamic extremism and supremacism. A former adherent of the Shafi'i madhab, Dr. Diaye changed his approach in 1981, 21 years after certification of his credentials. He rejected the rulings of the Reliance of the Traveller and its associated manuals of fiqh, and began to call for a new age of pluralism in Islam.
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[edit] Diaye and the Shari'a
Dr. Diaye has been a vocal proponent of Islamic feminism, and issued a statement commending Amina Wadud. He is against female circumcision. He has also scathingly condemned honor killing, in both Muslim and non-Muslim communities. He has consented to marry Muslim couples where both husband and wife were in their teens; however, he will not marry a much-older man to a young girl and vice-versa, and has spoken out against the sanctioning of pederasty and child abuse in Muslim countries.
[edit] A liberal imam
Dr. Diaye has been supportive of liberal movements within Islam. He has called for greater acceptance of LGBTQ Muslims. Although himself a devout Sunni, he is also a proud supporter of the Ahmadiyya movement. He has issued fatwas against the exclusion and hatred of the Ahmadiyya and Ismaili Muslim communities, and called these incitements to hatred and fitna.
[edit] Family history
Dr. Diaye's son, Latif Singh Diaye, became a Sikh of the Namdhari denomination when he traveled to India. Dr. Diaye has since become a firm advocate of interfaith outreach between Muslims and followers of Dharmic religions. He is known to be an occasional patron of the World Sikh Organization. He has also written fatwas against the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan and against the PULO's killing of Buddhists in Thailand.
[edit] Involvement in Middle East issues
Although not a Zionist, Dr. Diaye has condemned Hamas and other movements aimed at the destruction of Israel. He deplored the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. He is known to advance the theory that neither the Jewish people nor the Palestinians deserve the disputed Land of Israel. Rather, he has advocated the creation of a Jewish state in Europe, and the transfer of Palestinian refugees into Jordan.
Dr. Diaye does not support the Casamance separatist movement. He supported the Peshmerge in the 1980s, but later rejected their actions. He now proposes an independent Kurdistan be recognized in Northern Iraq.
Dr. Diaye was a supporter of Cak Nur. He has visited Seminyak and Jakarta to plan fora on Hindu-Muslim interfaith co-operatives. He has also issued fatwas condemning the acquittal of Abubakar Bashir in the Bali bombing.
[edit] Musician
Dr. Diaye has supported the position that music is halal in Islam. He has composed Wolof-language nasheeds on the saxophone.
[edit] Involvement with interfaith relations
Dr. Diaye has persistently called for rapprochement between Muslims and all types of non-Muslims. He has been a participant in many interfaith organizations and initiatives, and has called for peaceful and productive relations between Muslims and Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and others. He is a friend to the Senegalese and American Baha'i communities, and has condemned the Islamic world's mistreatment of Baha'i peoples.
